Friend or Foe
by CameronNinjaDragons
Summary: Kyler and Storm have known each other since grade school. At times, they're almost joined at the hip. But when the students of Inkopolis first Splatfest is around the corner, it will either bring them closer or drive them apart for good. (I know the summary stinks.)
1. Chapter 1

_**Fight me.**_

 _ **I don't know why, but I've started playing Splatoon again lately, and it's gotten to the point where I've gotten a weird story idea. So just... go with it, I guess.**_

 _(Storm's P.O.V.)_

I glanced at the inflatable dummy in front of me, adjusting my grip on the roller. The ink tank attached to my back was heavy, but I ignored the weight and simple griped the handle harder. Moving quickly, I coated the ground with cyan ink before ducking under it. I was glad that I was wearing the sweatshirt that my parents had gotten me for school, because it hid my movements within the ink. I popped out of the ink for a split second, throwing a splat bomb before ducking under again. I waited a second before jumping up again, this time slamming my roller down in front of the dummy and coating it with a wave of ink, making it pop.

"I really don't know why you're so worried."

I jumped, holding the roller out in front of me. I heard a chuckle, and felt someone gently lower the roller, letting me see who was in front of me.

"Careful, twinkle toes," Kyler said to me, being careful to not touch the ink on my roller. "It's just me."

"Then why am I hesitating?" I said with a cocky grin. Kyler faked looking hurt, and I chuckled at the orange Inkling. "And you know full well why I'm worried. My parents'll kill me if I'm not on the winning team." He rolled his eyes, flinging his arm around my shoulders.

"Only four Inklings from our graduating class are gonna be on the winning team," Kyler said, poking my chest. I glanced at him, resting the end of the roller on the ground. He was carefully avoiding the puddles of bright blue ink on the ground, and he slipped my ink tank off of my shoulders. I knew that I shouldn't be this comfortable around him since my parents didn't like him, but I had known Kyler since grade school.

So when Kyler took the roller from my hands and hung it up on the wall, I didn't try to stop him. After a minute he walked back, picking his was across the cement floor, resting his hands on my shoulders, and walking me over to the stairwell. The school was mostly empty at this point, seeing that it was after hours. Most of the students were out at the stores, buying new gear and weapons. But the principal had opened up the training room for any seniors who were preparing for this weekends Splatfest, which would be their first slew of turf wars. The students would each be grouped up with their own teams, and would have to face off against the different groups. And the winning group would get first pick for any future turf wars, and were extremely desirable as teammates.

I let out a sigh as the two of us sat down on the stairs, and I instantly leaned into Kyler's side. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, but I felt him flinch. I looked over at him as he removed his arm. from my shoulders, and I saw a patch of cyan ink attaching my shoulder to him arm.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry!" I cried, turning to face him, my voice echoing off the cement stairway. I pulled a pack of tissues out of my pocket, and went to grab his arm before I noticed the ink on my hands. I quickly wiped it off with a wad of tissues before wiping at his arm. "Kyler, I'm so sorry! I didn't know the ink would stick to my back!" I saw at the slight burn left behind on his arm, and I looked down.

"Storm, I'm fine," Kyler said, gently hooking his finger under my chin and making me look at him. "I've been hit with different colored ink before, so I'm fine. It'll go away in a few days." I looked away from him, before hearing him sigh. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"What- what do you mean?" I asked, looking back over at him. Kyler was looking straight ahead, his eyes soft. "Kyler?"

"I..." Kyler sighed, before running his hand over his hair. He turned towards me and smiled, holding out his elbow. "We should probably get going. Wanna go get some ice cream?" I smiled and nodded, locking elbows with Kyler.

"Is- is there something you want to tell me?" Kyler's grin faltered, but he replaced it with a forced one and shook his head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Storm," he said, purposefully leaning against me. "I am absolutely, positively sure that I have nothing that I want to tell you. Well, other than you need to calm the heck down." I rolled my eyes, shoving him off me.

"You're a dork."

"Would you object to a dork buying you ice cream?" I looked over at him and smiled.

"Only if that dork is named Kyler," his face lit up, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I unlinked our arms, hurrying a few feet in front of him. _Stop it, Storm. Kyler is just your friend, nothing else. Besides, what about Gr- no, not now. This has nothing to do with him._ I was pulled from my thoughts when Kyler tapped on my shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" Kyler looked worried, and I looked down, before bringing my hand up to my mouth and chewing on the side of my finger. "Storm?"

"I'm- I'm okay," I said, quickly wiping off my finger, hiding the teeth marks that I had left in my skin.

 _(Kyler's P.O.V.)_

Something was bothering her.

I had known Storm since we were five, and even then she had the tendency to chew on things when she was upset, and I had clearly seen the teeth marks in the side of her pointer finger. But I knew better than to pressure her, so I left it alone. I held out my elbow to her again, and she smiled slightly and linked arms with me again.

"Which one do you wanna go to?" I asked, trying to break the silence that had settled around us. Storm tilted her head to the side, biting the inside of her lip.

"Squidling's?"

Squidling's was a popular food stand on the outskirts on Inkopolis that had been around for as long as I could remember. It was run by two brothers, and it had pretty much anything you could think of. There was usually a long line, and most of the tables were usually taken up.

"Two ice creams at Squidling's, coming right up," I said with a smile. The two of us had long since left the school by now, and we were almost at the bullet train platform, which was a lot faster than walking all the way there. Storm pulled her arm away from me, and I looked away for a second. She would usually do this in public, but I had never questioned it. Once we were sitting on the train, Storm sat close next to me, before turning her head towards me.

"There's so many students on the train today," she said quietly, before glancing at the nearly full train car. "Look, there's Leah! Leah!" Storm was waving happily at her friend, a purple Inkling who was a year younger than us. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and her large-rimmed glasses were slipping down her nose. Leah looked up, slipped her glasses up her nose, and made her way over to us and sat down next to Storm.

"Hi Storm!" Leah said happily, hugging her friend. Then she leaned forward, waving at me. "Hello, Kyler. Where are you two heading?"

"Kyler offered to buy me ice cream at Squidling's," Storm said happily. "Even though I got ink on his arm earlier."

"I already told you that I'll be fine," I said with a sigh. "To change the subject, did you and Alder join a team yet?" Alder was Leah's twin brother, and I was pretty friendly with him. Leah let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"No... it doesn't seem like anyone wants either of us on their team, so we're kinda... stuck right now," she said with a shrug, making me smile. "Uh oh. Storm, I think your friend has an idea."

You bet I have an idea.

" _We_ should form a team!" I said, grinning. "Storm and I don't have teams yet, either, so the four of us can form a team!" Leah looked excited and confused, but Storm... for the first time, I couldn't read her emotions.

"But we're a bunch of nobodys," Leah pointed out.

"Kyler, I don't know if this is such a good idea..."

"But just think! The four of us, powering our way up the ranks, shocking everyone when a group of underdogs come out on top!"

"I guess it could work..." Leah said slowly. "Do you mind if I join you two at Squidling's? We can talk it over more there." She looked at Storm, who nodded slowly. I noticed that she was chewing her finger again, but I didn't bring it up.

"I hope I have enough money to pay for the three of us..." I muttered, not bothering to hide my smile.

* * *

The train had arrived at the station near Squidling's about ten minutes after I shared my idea with Leah and Storm. Leah was going to call Alder and have him meet us there, while Storm and I waited in line for ice cream. Storm started playing with her ponytail, looking over at me.

"Kyler, there's something I need to tell you-"

"Well if it isn't my little Stormcloud!"

I rolled my eyes at the approaching Inkling, while Storm flinched at the nickname. His hair was dark blue, and he was wearing a pair of pilot goggles, which were perched on his forehead. His eyes were a dull gray, and he was wearing a dark jacket. He sauntered up to us, trying to fling his arm around Storm's shoulders and frowning when she ducked towards me.

"What'd you want, Grayson?" I growled, glaring at the Inkling.

"Down boy," he said, tugging at my hair. "I'm just saying hello, so calm yourself, Tyson."

"It's Kyler, inkwad."

"Whatever," Grayson said with a shrug. "So, how's my fourth teammate doing?" He was looking right at Storm, and I looked at her in shock. Her green eyes began to water as she looked down.

"Storm..." I said quietly, reaching to her slightly.

"Yup," he said with a laugh. "Stormcloud's parents asked if I would take her on my team, which is _obviously_ going to be the winning team, and when we win, I get to date her. Isn't that right, Stormy?"

"I'm sor-"

"Save your breath, sweetheart," Grayson slung his arm around her shoulders, and instead of dodging it, she just flinched. "Scum like this isn't worth your time."

"Why are you such a jerk?" I demanded, shoving him away from Storm. She quickly moved closer to me, and I glared at Grayson.

"Y'know, I never liked you," he said, grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling me out of line. "It's about time I did something about that."

"Kyler!" Storm yelled, grabbing my arm. But somebody pulled her back, and I noticed one of Grayson's "friends" holding her back. Grayson was pulling me behind the building, and I let out a cry as he threw me to the ground and kicked me in the stomach. All the air was knocked out of me, and I lay on my side, trying to regain my breath. Then he kicked me again, this time in the back of the head, and my vision began to swim.

"Have fun back here, Tyson," Grayson said. I saw him pull what looked like a small suction bomb out of his pocket, and he stuck it to the wall behind me. My vision was going now as I was likely blacking out.

Then I felt a wave of pain hit my back, and I lost consciousness.

 _ **I finally finished the first chapter of this thing. I can usually crank out the first few chapters on rapid succession, but when I tried to save last night, I didn't know that my internet was out until I lost about 500 words of Kyler's P.O.V... anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of Friend or Foe! CameronNinjaDragons, signing off.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_(Storm's P.O.V.)_

"Let go of me!" I yelled, struggling in the grasp of the male Inkling. When his grip only tightened, I lifted up my foot and slammed my heel back against his shin.

"You little fu-!" he yelled, holding his shin as I pulled away from him. I ran after Grayson and Kyler, only to be stopped by the former before I got behind the building.

"And where are you going, Stormcloud?" Grayson asked, hands on his hips. I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to look behind him.

"None of your business, inkwad," I snapped, darting around him. He grabbed the back of my hood, and I turned and punched him in the nose. "So leave me alone, and don't touch me ever again."

"You shouldn't have done that," Grayson snarled, holding his nose and storming off. As soon as he turned the corner, I ran behind the building.

I gasped at what I saw.

Kyler was lying on his side on the ground, his entire back covered in dark blue ink. My hands flew up to my mouth, and my mind instantly went to the worst case scenario. At first, I didn't move, but then I heard Kyler groan, and I ran over to him.

"Kyler!" I said quickly, grabbing his arm. "Kyler, you need to get up, I-!" I looked down at him, before grabbing him under his arms and dragging him over to a part of the wall that wasn't covered in ink.

 _Okay, Storm. Calm down, you were taught in school what to do with things like this._

I propped Kyler up against the wall and grabbed the front hem of his shirt, being careful to not touch the dark blue ink as I pulled his t-shirt over his head. I threw his shirt to the ground before letting him lean forward against me. I was still sitting on the ground as I pulled some tissues out of my pocket and began to gently wipe at the back of his neck and hair, getting the blue off of him.

Kyler's entire back was burned pretty badly, and I was trying to get the ink off without making it worse, and without getting it on my hands. When I had gotten the dark blue off of him, I threw the tissues over by his shirt on the ground. His forehead was resting on my shoulder, and his entire body was slumped forward. I gently held his head to my shoulder with one hand as I fished in my back pocket for my phone.

I quickly dialed Leah's number, holding my breath as it rung.

" _Storm? Where the heck are you guys?! You've been gone for twenty minutes!_ "

"I know, and I'm sorry. But listen, can you meet me behind the building, like, right now? Kyler's hurt."

" _Thirty seconds._ " Leah said, before hanging up. I waited behind the building until I saw Leah rounding the corner, before she stopped and pushed her glasses up her nose. "What happened?"

"Grayson happened," I muttered, shifting Kyler's weight off of me. Leah untied her flannel from around her waist and helped me get his arms through the sleeves. Then she crouched behind him and held him upright as I buttoned up the shirt.

"We should call the police," Leah said, leaning Kyler against me again. "Grayson knows that he could have killed Kyler, and we can't just let him go. He could try this again. Especially with-"

"Leah, stop," I said as I sat there, holding Kyler's head to my shoulder again. "We can't turn Grayson in. I already punched him, so lets just say that Kyler was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or he didn't see the bomb or something. The least we can do is get him to a hospital so his burns can be treated." Leah sighed before taking one of Kyler's arms and wrapping it around her shoulders. She nodded to me, and I did the same with his other arm. The two of us got to our feet, supporting the unconscious Inkling between us as we moved to the front of the building.

* * *

 _(Kyler's P.O.V.)_

I had no idea how long I had been knocked out.

But when I woke up, my back was a cold kind of numb, and I could hear a soft, rhythmic beeping. The room was too bright at first, so I kept my eyes shut as I lay on my side. After a few minutes, I cracked one eye open, hoping to see where I was. Last I remembered, Storm, Leah and I were going to Squidling's when...

Grayson.

And then the bright white hospital room made sense.

I pushed myself off the bed, noticing that my entire torso was wrapped in white bandages. Shifting myself so I was sitting up, I looked around the room. It was small, and I realized that they must have given me a private room. But I certainly wasn't alone.

Leah was sitting in the chair across the room, fast asleep with her glasses crooked on her face and a trail of drool coming from her mouth. Looking down, I couldn't help but smile at what I saw. Storm was asleep at the foot of the bed, her knees on the floor and her upper body resting on the bed. She must have taken her hair out of the ponytail because it was hitting against her lower back as she slept. Tearing my gaze away from her, I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stood up.

I stumbled over to the bathroom door, which was slightly open. I shoved my hand in the doorway and fumbled against the wall for a minute, feeling for the lightswitch. When I eventually did manage to turn it on, I stepped into the small room and looked at myself in the mirror. I was paler then usual, and I had small ink burns dotting my left cheek, shoulder, and arm, getting progressively worse as they got closer to my back.

I let out a sigh before going about the bathroom, doing what I needed to do.

After a few minutes, I opened the door and stepped out into the room again. I left the bathroom light on, and went over to the door that lead to the hallway, flicking off the lightswitches there. Then I went back to my bed and slipped under the covers again.

"How long have you been awake?" I looked at the foot of the bed, seeing Storm looking up at me. I smiled, scooting over and patting the space next to me. Storm got to her feet, walked over, and sat down next to me.

"I've only been up for a few minutes," I said quietly, being careful to not wake Leah up. Storm glanced over at her friend and laughed softly.

"She fell asleep around nine," Storm said, still looking at her friend. "I tried to stay up until you woke up again, but..."

"That didn't work out?"

Storm nodded.

"It's because of Grayson that this happened," Storm muttered quietly. "But I think... well, his nose might be broken now. I punched him." At that, I snorted loudly and quickly slapped my hands over my mouth. My back screamed in pain, and I winced.

"I think that's the best thing I've heard all day," I said with a grin, still laughing quietly. "Actually, it's one of the only things I've heard today. What time is it?"

"Uhm..." Storm glanced around the room, her eyes falling on the wall clock. "Three in the morning."

"Three in the morning?!" I cried, trying to be quiet. "That means it's already Friday!"

"Yeah, so wh- oh no! Splatfest starts tomorrow!" Storm looked like she was starting to panic as she grabbed my hands. "Kyler, you don't even have a full team yet! Not to mention the fact that you're already hurt!" I pulled my hand away from Storm's and ran it over my hair.

"What are you two yelling about?"

Storm and I both looked over at Leah, who was wiping her hand along the corner of her mouth. She adjusted her glasses before looking back and forth at the two of us.

"Oh," Leah said slowly, fixing her glasses. "Sorry for inter-"

"Wait!" Storm and I said at the same time, before exchanging confused looks.

"Leah, do you know anyone else who might need a team?" Storm asked, making Leah tilt her head in confusion. "You're short a member."

"What're you talking about?" Leah asked. "You, me, Alder and Kyler. That's four people."

"You didn't tell her?" I asked Storm.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was more worried over the fact that my best friend had severe ink burns."

"For the love of zapfish..." I sighed, running my hand over my hair.

"What didn't you tell me?" Leah asked, looking at Storm.

"My... my parents signed me up for Grayson's team..." Storm said, looking down at her hands. "And if his team wins, I have to go on a date with the inkwad."

"Oh..." Leah said slowly, before her eyes lit up. "I know who needs a team."

"Uh... who?" I asked, looking nervously at the purple Inkling.

"Do you know who Breanne is?"

 _ **I'm actually proud of how many words I've been able to write per chapter with this story, since usually my most is 1,500 per chapter. But anywho, let me know what you guys think of this story, because reviews really do help. CameronNinjaDragons, signing off.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_So, I've been trying to get chapters for this story out every other day so I can (hopefully) finish it before school starts back up. Because if I don't, then I probably won't get this story finished until the end of the year. Anywho, I just wanted to keep you guys updated on what I'm planning for this._**

 _(Kyler's P.O.V.)_

"Breanne?" I asked, looking at Leah. "You're kidding, right?"

"Well, it's not like you have any other options!" Storm said, standing up and releasing my hand. "I'm stuck with Grayson, and you're hurt, so having anyone else is a blessing at this point. Besides, Breanne is actually a pretty good shot. She uses a charger most of the time." I sighed as I sat on the bed, scratching at the bandages covering my stomach.

"I guess," I said, throwing up my hands. "And since no matter what you guys decide, I guess I don't have much of a say."

"Breanne usually stays up pretty late, so she might be awake now," Leah said, pulling out her phone. She quickly typed something out before setting her phone down on her leg. After a minute, her phone started ringing, and Leah walked over to the two of us. "Bri, can I throw you on speaker for a minute?"

" _So, Leah said that you guys need another teammate?_ "

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I said, shrugging. Storm whacked my shoulder and I winced. "I mean yes, if you don't have a team."

" _Leah? You sure you wanna use your favor on this?_ "

"I'm sure," Leah said, Storm and I looking at her quizzically. "Besides, we need a fourth member."

" _Do you want me to head over your place now?_ "

"We're, uh, kinda in a hospital right now..." I said with a chuckle, earning another whack from Storm and a glare from Leah.

"We'll meet you outside the school at... nine?" Leah asked. "I'll text Alder and let him know the plan in a few."

" _Works for me. See you then._ " With that, Breanne hung up, leaving us in silence.

"So that settles it," Storm said. "You guys'll have Breanne on your team, and you'll have to kick my team's ass, because there is _no way_ I'm going on a date with Grayson. I'd rather jump in a lake."

"I don't blame you," Leah said, before walking back over to her chair. "But we should probably get some sleep before tomorrow." Storm nodded, before walking over to the far wall. She sat down on the floor, hugging her knees and leaning back against the wall. I laid down facing Storm, my eyes closed. When I could hear Leah snoring, I opened my eyes and got up, sitting next to Storm. I gently nudged her shoulder, making her look over at me.

"Kyler?" Storm said quietly. I could faintly see the green in her eyes due to the light from the bathroom. "What're you doing?"

"Well, I figured that, since my sleep schedule is likely effed up beyond repair, I would let you sleep in the bed," I told her, grinning. "You're welcome, by the way." Storm's expression was unreadable, but after a minute she shook her head, closing her eyes.

"You're the one who's hurt, Kyler," she said softly. "Besides, I'm fine with sleeping like this." I frowned, before shifting so I was face-to-face with Storm.

 _(Storm's P.O.V.)_

"K-Kyler?" I asked, pressing back a little as he looked at me. After a minute, he backed up a little and broke into a grin. "What?"

"You're very stubborn," Kyler said, his brown eyes still locked with mine. "But so am I."

"What're you-" I started, before letting out a quiet cry at he picked me up. I saw him wince slightly as I dug my fingers into his shoulders. "Kyler! Put me down _right now_!" He laughed, carrying me over to the hospital bed and gently putting me down.

"Happy now?"

"No," I said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer to me. "Sit down. If you're not going to sleep, then at least sit on something that isn't the floor." Kyler rolled his eyes before sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Now are you happy?" Kyler asked, raising his eyebrow. "Or do you want me to sleep with you, too?" I could feel my cheeks heat up, and Kyler's eyes widened.

"I-I didn't mean it like THAT. I-I just meant- y-y'know, just- I mean, I wouldn't MIND- I- uh..." Kyler's face was bright red now, and he dropped his head into his hands with a groan. "I'm just gonna stop now. I'm only digging myself a deeper pit at this point."

"You're a fricking idiot..." I mumbled, picking up a pillow and burying my face in it.

"Huh?" Kyler asked. I looked up at him, peering through my bangs.

"I _said_ that you're an idiot," I repeated, watching as he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Why's that?"

I let out a sigh, pressing my face into the pillow again and shaking my head.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," I muttered, shifting and falling onto my side. I heard Kyler chuckle, and I felt the depression in the mattress move as he sat of the foot of the bed, leaning up against the frame at that end.

"Goodnight, Storm," he said quietly, and I muttered a quiet response before closing my eyes. I remained silent for a few minutes, and felt Kyler get up. From the direction his footsteps were fading, I could tell that he was walking over to the window.

What happened next shocked me to the point that I almost said something.

Kyler was _singing_.

I had never heard him do that before, and I was stunned. After the shock wore off a little, I stopped and actually listened to the words of the song.

" _I had a thought, dear  
However scary_  
 _About that night_  
 _The bugs and the dirt_  
 _Why were you digging?_  
 _What did you bury_  
 _Before those hands pulled me_  
 _From the earth?_ "

I waited until he started back up again, staring at the far wall.

" _I will not ask you where you came from  
I will not ask you, neither should you._

 _Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips_  
 _We should just kiss like real people do._ "

After the last verse, he paused, taking a deep breath before starting back up again.

" _I knew that look dear  
Eyes always seeking_  
 _Was there in someone_  
 _That dug long ago_  
 _So I will not ask you_  
 _Why you were creeping_  
 _In some sad way I already know._ "

It took me a minute to realize the song he was singing. I would often hear Kyler's dad singing it as he went around the two bedroom apartment they lived in. His dad was actually pretty good at singing, yet I had never heard Kyler sing before.

" _I will not ask you where you came from_  
 _I will not ask you and neither would you_

 _Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips_  
 _We should just kiss like real people do._ "

Kyler paused again, before finishing the song.

" _I could not ask you where you came from_  
 _I could not ask you, neither could you_

 _Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips_  
 _We could just kiss like real people do._ "

When he finished, he walked back over to the bed and sat at the foot of it again.

"Storm?"

I froze, clutching the pillow tighter.

"I know you're faking it," Kyler said. "Or at least I think you are. But if you can actually hear me... I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that you don't have to go anywhere near Grayson. I know you've seen some of the crap he can do, but you've only seen the half of it. I've... he's done some awful shit, Storm. And I think- I _know_ he was trying to kill me yesterday. And I don't want that to happen to you."

And with that, Kyler fell into silence, humming to himself.

I didn't sleep that night.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I forgot to mention it, but the song from the last chapter was Like Real People Do by Hozier.**_

 _ **Also, the whole "I'll try to finish this before school starts"... yeah.**_

 _ **That didn't happen.**_

 ** _Anywho, I'm definitely going to update this as often as I can, and since I have shop this week, I'll *try* to get another chapter up this week._**

 _(Kyler's P.O.V.)_

Just as I was beginning to doze off, I heard an alarm clock start blaring. I let out a cry, falling backwards off the bed, one of my feet getting tangled up in the blankets. I heard Leah groan, and then the alarm turned off.

"Kyler?" I heard Storm ask, as the bed creaked quietly.

"Check the floor," I said with a laugh, my voice sounding strange because of my odd position. "By the way, could you untangle my foot?" I heard Storm gasp, and felt the blankets unwrap from my foot.

"Are you okay?" Storm was leaning over the foot of the bed, looking down at me, her hair hanging on either side of her head. I nodded, sitting up and moving the blanket away from me.

"I'm just gravitationally challenged," I said with a laugh. Storm rolled her eyes, moving away from the edge of the bed- and my field of vision. I minute later she was next to me, her hand outstretched towards me. I took it, and she hauled me to my feet.

"Okay lovebirds, knock it off," Leah said, picking her glasses up off the floor and putting them on. I looked down, before gesturing to my torso. I still had my jeans on, but my shirt was completely gone and I only had the bandages around my stomach and back.

"So... I'm just gonna be walking out of here shirtless?"

"Nope," Leah said with a smirk, tossing me her flannel. "Besides, why should we subject total strangers to your ugliness?" I heard Storm snort, and saw her covering her mouth with her hands, struggling not to laugh.

"Haha," I said, rolling my eyes. "Y'know, when this scars over, it'll look badass. I won't need jerks like you."

"As if," Storm said, still giggling a little. "Everyone is just gonna remember you as the idiot who challenged Grayson and lived." Although I laughed, I couldn't help but worry about what Storm had said. Would I really only be remembered as the guy who challenged Grayson?

No... I was going to do so much more than that.

I'm sure of it.

* * *

 _(Storm's P.O.V.)_

The three of us arrived at the school shortly before nine, and Leah quickly led Kyler and I into the building. Most of the doorways had been locked, including the ones that led to the stairways at the ends of the corridors. But the stairway that led down a short flight of cement stairs had been left unlocked, and was propped open.

"Brea?" Leah called, heading down the staircase before Kyler and I.

"I hear you!" Breanne called. Her voice was oddly rough, and we heard footsteps moving towards the bottom of the stairs. A moment later, an inkling with bright yellow hair was standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding a charger. Her ears were moving oddly, and she was simply gazing around the room.

"There's-" Leah started, before Breanne shot up her hand.

"Give me a second to listen, okay?" Breanne said, her ice-blue eyes flitting around the room. "There's... three of you, and... one of you is pretty fidgety, right?" I glanced over at Kyler, seeing him plant his feet firmly on the steps.

"You're blind," Kyler blurted, walking a few steps down and standing next to me. Breanne simply nodded, shifting her hold on her weapon. "But- how can you be a sniper, if you can't even see what you're trying to shoot?!"

"Kyler!" I scolded, glaring at him.

"It's okay, really," Breanne said, before angling her body towards Kyler. "The thing is, I don't need to _see_ my opponents- I just need to _hear_ them."

"I'm- sorry, Breanne, but how is that possible?" I asked softly, tilting my head. "Don't you need to be able to see to even be able to participate in turf wars?"

"No, you don't. See, when Inkling's are in squid form, or even walking, they make a weird... sound," she said, gazing in my direction. "Almost like rainwater dripping into a puddle underneath a tree. I listen to that, and then I aim based on what I hear."

"That's amazing," I gasped, walking down the rest of the steps. Breanne's eyes followed me, and she smiled.

"Hey, did I ever tell Alder to come here?" Leah asked Kyler and I. We both shook our heads, and Kyler tilted his head to the side.

"Why?" Kyler asked, walking towards Leah. Breanne looked up, before a look of confusion blossomed on her face.

"Who's Grayson?" Breanne asked, making my blood run cold. "Alder's running down the hall yelling about storms and someone named Grayson."

"He's not talking about the weather," I said shakily, Kyler rushing down the steps and grasping my hands tightly, keeping them from shaking. "My name is Storm. And Grayson... Grasyon is the reason we're here."

"Brea... he tried to kill Kyler on Thursday," Leah said grimly. "So if Alder is this frantic about this- well, he's frantic about a lot of things, but that's not the point- the thing is, it's definitely bad." The four of us quickly ran up the stairs, Breanne slinging the charger over her back. Kyler rushed towards the oncoming figure, quickly grabbing the purple-haired Inkling by the shoulders and pressing his forehead to Alder's, murmuring to him.

Alder was shaking and breathing heavily, and he had dark blue and green ink splattered and dripping down his face and arms. The worst one was dark blue, and ran from between his eyebrows to the right side of his upper lip. Kyler continued to talk quietly, slipping his hands down to hold Alder's elbows.

After a minute, Alder began replying to what Kyler was saying, and then he pulled away from Kyler and turned to everyone else.

"Storm," Alder said, his voice wavering. "Grayson- he's saying- he said that Kyler's hurt, is that-"

"Yeah, Alder," I said, looking to the nervous Inkling. "A suction-bomb got to Kyler- that's what the burns that are all over him are from."

"S-so- so it's true?" Alder asked shakily, backing up. Kyler stepped towards his friend, and Alder leaned into him.

"What's true?" Leah asked, as Alder pointed at storm.

"Grayson is saying that she did it. Storm's the one who planted the bomb."

 _ **Ooooohhhh snap! Yes, Alder is just a nervous little Inkling, but the fact that Grayson is saying this is just making everything worse. And I'm planning on adding a few things with Alder and Kyler soon, so... yeah.**_

 _ **Anywho, CameronNinjaDragons, signing off.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_So, as a quick note, y'know how in Splatoon 1, there's those lazer-like things that you shoot in order to reach the next area in the story mode? I'm going to refer to them as travel lines, because I'm not sure what they're actually called._**

 _(Kyler's P.O.V.)_

"Grayson is saying that she did it. Storm's the one who planted the bomb."

I took a step back, my burns throbbing again. I wanted to kill Grayson. Well, that wasn't saying that I didn't want to kill him before this, but now?

I was going to end him.

"Storm would _never_ do something like that," Leah said firmly, before turning and looking at her friend. "Right?" Storm nodded in agreement, her light blue eyes watering. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed her mouth again, only letting out a soft whimper. I stepped towards her, but she shook her head and backed away from me.

"I-I should go," Storm muttered, before turning and bolting past Alder and down the hall.

"Wait, Storm!" I yelled, running after her. I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn't bother looking back. I slung my backpack off my shoulders, digging through my bag and pulling out a mini Splattershot. I dug through again, and pulled out a small ink cartridge.

"Kyler, wait!" Leah yelled. I didn't stop, snapping off the cover and clicking it into my mini. I threw my bag back over my shoulders, and aimed at one of the travel lines outside the school. Connecting it, I dove into the ink lines.

The orange ink let me move much faster, and I could see clearly through it. My eyes scanned the crowd below, but there was no sign of Storm. Soon enough, I was at the first platform.

There were several Inklings crammed onto the platform, with several travel lines heading to and from the different platforms stationed throughout the square, or even to the ground. I looked across the square, seeing one of the orange travel lines wrapping around a sky blue one.

And a familiar blue Inkling was standing on the platform.

I rushed towards the travel line, shoving several Inklings out of the way before ducking into the line, rushing over to the platform Storm was on. As soon as I was close to the other platform, I jumped out of the line and onto the platform.

"K-Kyler?!" Storm cried, taking a step back. "What on earth are you doing?!"

"Look, I know that what Grayson's been saying lately is awful-"

"This isn't the time-"

"But I promise that he won't do anything to you-"

"Kyler, please stop-"

"Because I care about you, and don't want anything-"

"Kyler, stop!" Storm said, taking a step towards me. "There's nothing you can do about this! Okay?! I know you think that you can stop Grayson, but you can't do a thing! You're powerless!" I took a step back, and a wave of guilt came over Storm's face.

"Kyler-"

"No," I said, my eyes burning. "I get it now. Good luck at Splatfest."

And I walked away.

* * *

 _(Storm's P.O.V.)_

"What have I done?"

I wrapped my arms around myself, lowering my gaze to the platform below me. I could hear Kyler say something to Leah and Alder, before his footsteps rushed across the platform. Someone walked up to me, resting their hand on my shoulder.

"Storm," Leah said, stepping so she was right next to me. "I- good luck tomorrow." I nodded, turning to respond.

"You-" I sighed, seeing that Leah had already left, as had Alder. 'You too, Leah."

I dropped my gaze, walking over to the travel line and heading back to the school. This was going to be a long day.


End file.
